


Off The Record

by JustifyingEvil



Category: Batman (1966)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Death Threats, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injured Clancy O'Hara, Injured Dick Grayson, Race Against Time, Secret Identity, mild torture (maybe)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-05-26 00:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14988803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustifyingEvil/pseuds/JustifyingEvil
Summary: First Chief O'Hara goes missing and now Robin. Commissioner Gordon and Batman must find them and fast before it's too late





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I must admit, Clancy O’Hara and Dick Grayson are my favourite characters, with the Penguin and Catwoman as my favourite villains. I don't know why but I am always so mean to my favourite characters...  
> I’m not entirely sure where this fanfiction is going to go. I have a vague idea in my mind so here goes nothing!

Commissioner Gordon tapped his foot nervously and eyed up the red phone from his desk. The head of police, Chief O’Hara hadn’t been heard from after a late night patrol last night. The Chief was ordered by the Commissioner to check out some strange occurrences at a laundromat called The Wash Around. He was expecting the Chief to return within the hour but never did and when he sent other officers to the location, there was no sign of the Chief or his patrol car. He stayed awake all night hoping that O’Hara would burst into the office but nothing. 

The Commissioner rubbed his forehead. He looked quite a state. Two top buttons of his shirt undone and his tie hanging down loose and messy. He wanted sleep but he couldn’t not knowing what had happened to his head of police. He got up from his desk and marched over to the red phone. Lifting off the case, he silently prayed that the caped crusader was home. Now was the time that he really needed him. He picked up the phone, pressed the button and waited patiently.

At stately Wayne Manor, Dick was in the study getting some peace and quiet away from his fussing Aunt and studying some geography. His head snapped up as he heard the Batphone go off. He jumped to his feet and went to the door and called Bruce’s name and made an excuse why he needed his guardian. Bruce ran from the direction of the living room where he had just been having a riveting conversation with Aunt Harriet about tea and cake.  
Dick held the door open as Bruce walked right to the Batphone.

“Yes Commissioner” 

“Batman, Batman! I’ve never been happier to hear your voice. Get to Police Headquarters as soon as you can” The Commissioner knew he might have over exaggerated a little but he was too tired and worried to care.

“We’ll be there right away, just remain calm Commissioner” Batman notice the panic in Gordon’s voice and immediately knew something was very wrong. He turned to Dick with a serious look “To the Batpoles, we have no time to lose”

Dick nodded as he flipped the switch, opening the secret entrance. They both jogged the short distance to the poles and slid down them, coming out in costume at the bottom and running to the Batmobile. 

They wasted no time getting to the Police Headquarters and made their way briskly to the Commissioner’s office. They found the Commissioner with his head in his hands, sat slumped behind his desk. He raised his weary head and sprung up to greet the dynamic duo. 

“Batman, thank goodness” The Commissioner smiled a the caped crusader.

“What is it Commissioner? You sounded quite... panicked on the phone” Batman couldn’t think of another way to put it.

“It’s Chief O’Hara. No one has heard from him or seen him since last night. I’m getting more worried every passing minute”

“Gosh, it’s so unlike Chief O’Hara to just disappear without telling anyone. Something must have happened to him” the boy wonder thought.

“I’m afraid so, Robin. He was sent out to The Wash Around laundromat after a report of suspicious activities there. After not hearing back, I sent another officer over there. No sign of the Chief ever being there” the Commissioner said heading back round his desk to sit down.  
Before Batman or Robin could reply, the Commissioner’s secretary, Bonnie came in. “Hello dynamic duo” she said passing them “This was left for you by some guy wearing all black” she handed Gordon a brown envelope that was address to him and left.

Gordon looked at the envelope “This better not be a ransom note...” he trailed off opening it and unfolding the paper. He quickly skimmed through the contents of the letter, his eyes growing wide. “This is preposterous, an... an outrage!” He yelled in disgust, getting up and handing the letter to Batman who read it out loud.

“Commissioner Gordon, I have your precious head of police, Chief O’Hara. I would like you to decide his fate. Below is a list of possible ways that I would be getting rid of him, so chose wisely. Please put a tick by which one you would like and sign along the dotted line. After that you must return this in person to The Wash Around at 6pm tonight. Place the letter on the counter, I’ll leave the door open. Ta ta, see you tonight!  
PS, you must chose one or I’ll kidnap you and kill the Chief in front of you and then kill you.  
PPS, tell Batman and Robin to stay away and not to come with you or else.  
Kindest regards”

Silence fell across the room. That was one hefty letter to read. Robin was the first to speak “Do I even want to know the choices” he whispered, looking up at Batman in concern. 

Batman cleared his throat and began reading out the four possible fates for the poor Chief.  
“One, shot several times. Two, electrocution. Three, strangulation. And number four, buried alive” 

The Commissioner placed one hand on his head and the other was gripping the edge of his desk. “I- I can’t” he sounded defeated.

Batman folded the paper and placed it in front of the Commissioner “This is a dire situation indeed, Commissioner. We need to think of a plan and fast. The Chief’s life is quite literally in our hands, well yours to be more precise”

“What do you suppose we do, Batman?” Robin questioned.

Batman began pacing “You have to do what it says, Commissioner”

“What!? But Batman” The Commissioner argued.

“You tick and sign. Take it there by six and leave. We will wait to see who turns up and set a trap to catch them.”

The Commissioner picked up the letter and sadly looked at the options before him. He picked up a pen and hovered it over the paper. “I have faith in you, Batman, that you will not let whatever I tick happen to Chief O’Hara.” The Commissioner hesitantly ticked the first option and signed. 

“Don’t worry, Commissioner. We'll head back to the Batcave to come up with a plan. We’ll call you later on” Batman gave the Commissioner a sympathetic look before taking his leave with Robin in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 2. Sorry for the long ish wait.

Now back at the Batcave, Batman was pacing up and down in deep thought with Robin doing the same right beside him. Batman stopped for a second but shook his head and continued his pacing. After a few more minutes, Batman stopped again which gained Robin’s attention. 

“I’ve got it. Robin come sit” Batman sat down. Robin did the same and sat in a chair opposite. Batman continued “We will set up a hidden camera and some microphones in the room well ahead of time. When the time comes, we will watch and listen from the Batmobile which will be parked out of sight. Then we will follow whoever comes to pick up the letter and they will hopefully lead us right to Chief O’Hara!” Batman exclaimed.

“Great idea, Batman” Robin cheered.

They both got to work collecting what they needed and put them safely in the Batmobile. They headed off to the laundromat to set everything up. As they were doing this, they were being watched from across the street by a man dressed in all black “Yeah boss. They are here doing something. Sure thing boss, I’ll get the trap set for tonight. They clearly disobeyed your instructions. Over and out” the man creeped away with an evil smirk on his face. 

Batman and Robin had finished setting everything up. Batman looked at his watch. “We better go tell the Commissioner what’s happening and see how he is holding up”

They rushed away to police headquarters and found the Commissioner asleep on the couch in the office. 

“Let’s leave him, Robin. He needs the sleep. We will call him later. To the Batcave” Batman whispered and quietly excited the office.

Later on, Batman called the Commissioner. There was only half an hour to go. “I hope you understand the plan Commissioner?”

“Yes, I do. Let’s hope it works and that you will find Chief O’Hara in time” 

“I will contact you once we arrive at wherever we get led to. Just remain calm and do your part”

“Will do. Stay in touch when you can. Thank you, Batman, goodbye” the Commissioner put down the phone. He composed himself as he walked to his desk to pick up the letter. He silently cursed at it and scowled. He strode out of the office and to his car, setting off towards the laundromat.

6:00pm on the dot. The Commissioner entered the deserted looking building. The bell above the door chimed, making the Commissioner jump. He shook his head and placed the letter on the counter. He quickly left, getting back into his car and left the rest to Batman who was in an alleyway besides the building. 

Batman was standing outside the Batmobile, leaning against the driver side door. Robin was in the car watching the footage they were getting from the hidden camera that was in a corner of the room. Robin noticed a black figure come into the shop. Batman had heard the bell and turned round to look at the footage. The man picked up the letter and shoved it into his trouser pocket. He let out a small chuckle and looked directly into the hidden camera. He winked at the camera before making his way to the door.

Robin looked at Batman. Batman looked at Robin. They both looked at each other, puzzled. Suddenly Batman felt something pinch his left shoulder. He looked over to see a dart protruding out of it. He began to feel very fuzzy and his knees buckled. Robin stood up in shock and jumped out of the car, only to have the same thing happen to him. A dart had landed in this arm. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

The man that was just in the shop came round and smirked “Good shot” he said to another man who had been hiding behind a dumpster and now was walking towards the other man with a dart gun. 

They proceeded to pick up the boy wonder and tossed him into the trunk of a car that was further down the alley. As they drove past the Batmobile, one of them tossed Robin’s utility belt out the window, laughing as he did so.   
The car came to a halt outside and abandoned costume shop. They carried the boy wonder in and down into the basement, the secret lair of the Joker. They entered a dimly lit room. They tied his hands together and his feet and placed him next to a battered and bruised Chief O’Hara. 

“That dart shot should keep him knocked out till morning” one of the men said. The other nodded and they left, locking the door behind them.

The talking had stirred Chief O’Hara awake. He groaned and groggily looked around. His eyes soon adjusted and to his shock, he found Robin out cold next to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!

Morning broke over Gotham City. Batman blinked his eyes open and found himself lying on the floor next to the Batmobile. He jumped to his feet and tried to recall what happened the previous night. His mind went to Robin and he ran to the other side of the Batmobile to find Robin’s utility belt on the floor but no Robin in sight. Batman cursed as he held the belt tightly. They had taken him.  
Batman threw the belt into the Batmobile and got into the Batmobile himself. He sped to police headquarters to make sure the Commissioner was ok. 

The Commissioner was pacing in his office, occasionally glancing over at the red phone. He had expected to hear from the caped crusader by now. Batman burst into the office, startling the Commissioner. 

“Batman, you gave me a fright” Gordon said sitting down in his chair.

“Sorry Commissioner but we have a problem” 

Commissioner Gordon only just noticed that Robin wasn’t with Batman and he knew what had happened. “They’ve taken Robin, haven’t they?”

“Correct Commissioner. This is not good. Now we have two people held captive and possibly will get killed. I’m going to head back to the laundromat to collect the cameras and maybe we can get some clues” Batman explained.

“Let me know if you need anything” Gordon offered.

Batman nodded and headed off back to The Wash Around. He arrived and quickly took down the equipment. He looked around to see if anything else had been left but there was nothing. His only hope at finding Chief O’Hara and Robin were the recordings from the cameras. 

As he arrived back in the Batcave, Alfred was already down there dusting to keep his mind occupied. He was relieved when Batman returned seemingly unscathed. Batman didn’t acknowledge Alfred at first, he was too busy plugging the camera into a tv so he could see the footage. Alfred cleared his throat loudly to get Batman’s attention. Batman looked up and sighed. 

“Our plan didn’t go to plan, Alfred. They took Robin and his life is in danger along with Chief O’Hara’s”

“Oh my. What are you going to do, sir?”

“I have footage that will hopefully help” Batman switched on the tv and the footage appeared. He could see the Commissioner entering, leaving the note and exiting. Five minutes later another man entered and took the note. He looked up at the camera and winked. Batman paused the tape and narrowed his eyes. He could see the face of the person. He recognised him as a former henchman of the Joker. 

Batman got up and yelled “The Joker!” And this took Alfred by surprise. “Alfred, I’m going out again. Make some excuse to Mrs Cooper.”

“Of course, sir. Please be careful”

Batman saluted and drove away out of the Batcave. He called the Commissioner on the way explaining what he had discovered. The Commissioner also gave him some information. A shop opposite the laundromat had caught the getaway car on camera and got the number plate. Officers were out looking for the car. Batman thanked the Commissioner and headed in the rough direction of where the getaway car was going. 

Down in the basement of the abandoned costume shop, Chief O’Hara had been drifting in and out of consciousness all night. He was awake now as Robin began to stir. Robin opened his eyes and faintly heard his name being called. He looked to his side to see Chief O’Hara looking at him. Robin noticed that he looked worse for wear.

“Ah Robin you alright?” Chief O’Hara said sounding out of breath.

“Yes Chief, I’m fine. You don’t look fine though” Robin was concerned.

Chief O’Hara rested his head on the wall behind him “Not exactly fine no”

“What happened?” Robin asked wanting to know the story.

“Well... I went to The Wash Around, the laundromat and I saw movement inside. So I went in with my gun drawn but got hit on the back of the head. Before I passed out I heard laughing”  
“Must be the Joker” Robin shifted his position and pulled at the ropes tying his hands. “He did this to you” he looked at the sorry state of the Chief.

“It was his henchmen armed with metal bats and their fists. Gave me a right beating. They also said that the Commissioner was deciding something. Do you know what that was all about?”

“Um... the Commissioner received a letter telling him to pick how you were going to be killed” Robin said looking away.

The Chief stayed silent until Robin spoke again.

“It also said that if he didn’t do it, they would kidnap him also and kill you in front of him. And if me and Batman showed up there would be consequences. This is what they probably meant, kidnapping me”

Chief O’Hara put his head in his hands “Let’s hope that Batman and the Commissioner are alright and are trying to find us”

“I hope they do... before it’s too late”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had big writers block with this fanfic. Like I said in chapter 1, I don't know where this fanfic is going to go. Sorry for the long wait. Anyway here's chapter 4.

Chief O'Hara and Robin were still tied up and sat in the basement of the abandoned costume shop. It was now night time in Gotham city, not that they knew that as there were no windows in the basement. They had been sitting in silence for a while. Robin was trying to devise a plan to escape but so far he had come up with nothing that would actually work. Chief O'Hara was dozing off when the basement door swung open and startled him. The Joker stood there with his two henchmen who were hiding something behind their backs. The Chief and Robin looked at each other and then at the Joker who had now walked down the stairs and was only a few feet away.

"Why hello, I hope you two are not too bored down here. I thought I should bring some entertainment" the Joker giggled with excitement as the two henchmen revealed what they were hiding behind their backs, metal baseball bats.

Chief O'Hara gulped and shot Robin a look of terror. Robin struggled with the binds holding his hands captive behind his back. The Joker just laughed and commanded his henchmen to do their jobs. As the metal bats hit their bodies, they both gritted their teeth to try and not scream. Each blow was harder than the last. Tears began to leak out of Robin's eyes and he let out a whimper. Chief O'Hara groaned and growled at his beater. The punishment went on for 10 minuets. By the time they had finished, the Chief and Robin were face down on the floor struggling to catch their breath and to stay conscious.

"That's enough for now I think but it won't be the last" Joker spat as he lead his henchmen out of the basement, locking the door behind him.

With all the strength he had left, Robin managed to get himself into a sitting position once again. He coughed a few times which made his ribs scream in pain.

"Chief... you ok?" Robin knew this was a stupid question but he had to ask.

"I'll be alright, don't go worrying about me, how are you?" The Chief choked out.

"I'm stronger than I look" Robin chuckled, causing him pain "We need to get out of here. If Joker's punishments get worse... we can't wait for Batman" Robin sighed.

The Chief nodded in agreement, time was of the essence.

"Chief, try to untie my ropes and I'll try to untie yours. Then at least we would have our hands free" Robin suggested.

Again, the Chief nodded and he pushed himself off the floor with great difficulty and was now back to back with Robin. After a few minutes with no success the Chief got frustrated.

"It's no use" he yelled.

Just as he said this, Robin had managed to loosen the Chief's ropes and he got his hands free. He quickly turned around to untie Robin. They were both glad their hands were now free.

"Now to get out of here!" Robin exclaimed trying to stand but his body protested and he fell back down. He let out a yelp.

"Easy there lad, you must be in a lot of pain. Don't try to stand yet" the Chief said softly.

Robin huffed and brought his knees up to his chest, ignoring any pain. Chief O'Hara lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out a way to escape. Robin was trying to hide how much pain he was in but the Chief could clearly see that poor boy was suffering. They both eventually fell asleep.

Meanwhile... Batman had no luck tracing the car, neither had the police officers.

In the Batcave, Batman and Alfred were trying everything they could to located their lost companion but everything they tried came up with nothing helpful. Batman was worried and frustrated. Alfred suggested he went to bed but he refused until he got some clue as to where Robin was. Alfred was obviously worried about Robin but now he was also worried about Batman. He sighed and decided to retire for the night. Batman continued to work through the night. At around 3:30 am, the red phone rang. He quickly answered.

"Hello?!"

"Batman" the Commissioner said with a yawn "sorry to disturb you at an ungodly hour but I might know where they are"

Batman was all ears despite being tired "Tell me"

"The car we've been trying to find. It's been spotted about 6 miles away from the laundromat. I checked and that's near a few abandoned shops so they must be around there somewhere"

"Brilliant Commissioner. I'll head there in the morning. Let's hope both Robin and the Chief are ok"

"I join you in that home Batman, goodbye and good luck"

Batman put down the phone and decided to get a few hours of sleep so he'll be ready for anything that could happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random but I wrote this chapter on a train :p


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long! Been moving and settling into my new life at University. I'll try and update asap. Not sure how many chapters are left, probably around 2-3. Enjoy

Bruce woke up later than he had wanted. Now that he roughly knew where Robin and Chief O'Hara were, he needed to get to them quickly and capture the Joker. He wanted to get going but Aunt Harriet was an obstacle in his way. She was fretting over him as he hadn't been around and kept asking questions on her nephew's whereabouts. If it wasn't for Alfred, he would have run out of excuses long ago. Alfred made sure to keep the poor woman busy as Bruce slipped away to the Batcave. He was out of there in a flash, heading towards the last known location of that car.

He had a hard time navigating the streets as it was morning rush hour but as he neared the row of abandoned shops there was barely anyone in sight. There were 4 abandoned shops in a row. Batman started at the top. He foolishly left the Batmobile in sight and one of the henchmen noticed it. He hurried to tell his boss who panicked slightly. Hastily, he unlocked the basement door only to be punched in the face by Robin.

Robin and the Chief didn't get much sleep as they were uncomfortable and in pain. They had devised a plan and they were now putting it into action. Joker had stumbled backwards and crashed to the floor, taking one of his henchmen down with him. Unlucky for them, the second henchman had a bottle of sleeping gas ready and sprayed it in Robin's face. Robin stumbled and fell down the flight of stairs. Chief O'Hara couldn't act quick enough and he too got sprayed sending him into slumber.

The Joker leapt off the floor and jumped for joy. The henchmen took Robin and Chief O'Hara one by one to the car which was parked behind the shop. Chief O'Hara was shoved in the boot while Robin was in the back seat with one of the henchmen. The car screeched out of the alleyway and onto the road, passing the Batmobile. Batman had heard the car and rushed outside. He quickly jumped into the Batmobile to give chase.

Both cars sped down the street. The Batmobile was gaining on the car in front. One of the henchmen leaned out of the car window and threw a smoke bomb. A thick cloud covered the road and Batman had to break, he couldn't see anything and he lost the car. He cursed as he waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, he looked around but the car was long gone.

The Joker laughed as they lost the Batmobile. They raced to another abandoned location. Now at their new location, the two henchmen had already dragged a half awake Chief to the basement. The Joker kept an eye on him while his goons went back to get Robin who was beginning to come around. Robin opened his eyes and quickly came to life, surprising the henchmen. Robin broke free of their grasp and started to throw punches left and right. The Joker had heard the commotion and yelled at his henchmen to not let him escape. They did as they were told and both manged to avoid Robin's punches, grabbing onto him. One had his hand on Robin's cape and the other had his hands on his hair. Together, they shoved him down the basement but in doing so they had ripped off his cape and his mask had snapped off.

The henchman looked down at what he had in his hands and turned to his boss with a worried look. The Joker noticed that the boy wonder had lost his cape and mask. A big grin spread across his face and his laughed hysterically. He slammed the basement door shut and locked it.

"We must mail these goodies to police headquarters for Batman to see" He snatched them from his henchmen and sped off to get them mailed.

Down in the basement, Robin lay face first at the bottom of the stairs groaning, unaware he was missing pieces of his suit. The Chief had managed to sit up against the wall. He glanced over at the boy. "Robin, lad they stole your cape" he whispered.

Robin was going to get up into a sitting position but something didn't feel right, he couldn't feel his mask on his face. He turned his face away from the Chief in panic. "That's not the only thing they've got, Chief O'Hara. My mask's come off" he said in a shaky voice.

The Chief went wide eyed "Saints alive…" the room fell silent. Neither of them knew what exactly to do. Robin had never been in a situation like this. Also, he kept a spare mask in his utility belt but that wasn't with him. If the Joker saw who he really was there was no telling what he'd do. The desperation to escape was growing.

At Police Headquarters, the Commissioner was waiting for Batman's arrival. A strange package had been delivered for him. Batman burst through the doors. The Commissioner stood up and handed him the package.

"What do you think it could be?" Gordon asked nervously.

Batman gulped and ripped open the package. All he could see was yellow. The yellow of Robin's cape. He took the folded cape out of the brown packaging and as he did, something fell out onto the floor. Batman looked down and dropped the cape in shock and horror. He picked up the mask with shaking hands.

"It can't be… this isn't good, Batman if it's the real thing"

"If this is indeed the mask Robin was wearing, the Joker now knows his identity… and probably mine"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonder how many times I said Henchmen/Henchman in this chapter haha


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been too long since the last chapter. I've been bogged down by work and I haven't had any time. But here we are, another chapter finally. Enjoy.

Robin had gone to the furthest corner of the room and faced the wall. He had to keep his identity concealed but that was practically impossible. Chief O'Hara was on the other side of the room nearer to the door. He had been watching Robin and was growing concerned for the young boy. Robin was scared and didn't know what to do. He had never been in a situation like this. He knew once the Joker returned, his identity would be exposed and soon the whole of Gotham would know who he and Batman really were. Robin sighed.

"Don't worry boy wonder. We'll get out of here somehow, with your identity still a secret" Chief O'Hara tried to comfort the boy.

Again, Robin sighed "I don't know how we're going to get out of this situation."

Robin sounded so deflated, he needed to use his brain and come up with a plan to get both him and the Chief out alive. He noticed that the corner he was in looked different to the others. He tapped on the wall which caused Chief O'Hara to look at him, confused. Robin continued to tap the wall and his suspicions were confirmed, the wall in the corner of the room was hollow.

He scrambled to stand up and started kicking the wall. After a few kicks, his foot went right through the wall and created a hole. The Chief stood up and a grinned, the boy wonder and his brains always baffled him. He watched Robin tear down the wall and soon enough there was a big enough hole for both of them to fit through. Behind the wall was a long passageway that could lead anywhere.

"Come on, Chief. We need to hurry. Don't know where this leads but hopefully it will get us out of here" Robin said as he stepped through the hole. Chief O'Hara, as quickly as he could, followed Robin through the hole and they both walked down the tunnel.

The tunnel got darker the further down they went which was a blessing for Robin, no one could see his face. The Chief started to fall behind. They both were still pretty injured from the beatings they had endured. Robin glanced behind him and noticed that the Chief was struggling. He slowed down and waited from him to catch up.

"Are you ok, Chief?" Robin said softly.

"Yeah, yeah. Just keep going. The Joker could catch up to us, we need to keep moving." Chief O'Hara gritted his teeth as he felt pain shoot up his right arm. He continued to walk to catch up to Robin.

They both walked and walked and walked. The tunnel looked endless, no light at the end. Luckily the Joker hadn't caught up with them, he possibly hadn't even found the tunnel yet. Their pace slowed. They were both tired, hurt, hungry and dehydrated. Even Robin was beginning to struggle. Just when Robin was about to stop, they turned a corner and saw light coming from under a door. Robin's face lit up and he grabbed the door handle. With all the strength he had left, he pulled the door but it wouldn't budge. Chief O'Hara came next to him. Robin looked away back into the darkness since the light from under the door would illuminate his face. The Chief tried the door but it wouldn't budge for him either. He took a step back and studied the door.

"I think this is the headquarters basement door" the Chief smiled.

Robin smiled too but they still had to get the door open. "Right, we have to both pull the door at the same time" Robin mentioned.

Chief O'Hara and Robin both pulled the door with all their might. The Chief's legs buckled beneath him, he was too tired to do this. Robin let go of the handle and slid down the wall. If they didn't get through the door soon, the Joker would surly catch up but the door would not budge.

"Don't think anyone really comes down to the basement so no wonder the door is locked" the Chief mumbled glancing over at Robin. The light from under the door was illuminating half of Robin's face. The Chief looked away, down back the tunnel. Robin cursed under his breath. He just wanted to go home now.

Meanwhile, in the commissioner's office, Batman was pacing back and forth in worry. Gordon had admitted defeat and was sitting at his desk looking miserable. Batman was unsure of what to do next. He clutched Robin's mask trying to keep his emotions in check. For some reason, he felt that Robin was close by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the last :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Hope you enjoyed this fanfic. Might make more in the future if I get any ideas.

Chief O’Hara had fallen asleep. Robin had his knees tucked up to his chest and he was facing down the tunnel. He was gathering his strength to bust open the door while thinking of Batman and what he would do/say in this situation. Robin missed him. He also missed Alfred and Aunt Harriet. With a deep breath, he stood up and took a few steps back. He stared at the door with narrow eyes, the door was his enemy right now and he was not going to be defeated by it, no matter how tired or in pain he was. He ran at the door as fast as he could. His body made a loud thud as he came into contact with the door. The noise startled Chief O’Hara awake. Robin had fallen onto his back, the door still intact. He groaned and sat up, looking away from the Chief.

“You ok Robin?” He questioned the boy wonder.

Robin groaned in response and rubbed his shoulder that he used to ram the door. The Chief looked at him sympathetically. Out of the corner of his eye, the Chief noticed a faint light around the corner of the tunnel. He gulped and tapped Robin on his shoulder and pointed towards the light which was coming closer and brighter. Robin looked in that direction and quickly stood up in panic, it had to be the Joker and his crew. In desperation, he began kicking at the door as hard as he could. He glanced over his shoulder, fear building inside him. He felt like crying. The Chief stood up and tried to help Robin by kicking the door himself but they just got in the way of each other.

To both their horror a laugh echoed from down the tunnel. Robin’s body began to shake, the Joker had caught up with them. His identity would be known and his world would fall apart. Luckily, the tunnel was dark enough to hide who he was but the Joker had a flashlight so he was very much screwed. The Joker rounded the corner and shone the flashlight in the direction of the Chief and Robin. Robin faced the door while the Chief turned around to confront the Joker. As expected, the Joker had two of his henchmen with him and he gave the signal for them to attack. The Chief prepared himself to fight but he knew he wasn’t going to be any good at fighting because of how injured he was. Robin knew he had to fight, he couldn’t let Chief O’Hara do all the work by himself.

He readied himself and turned around, his fist slamming into the face of one of the henchmen, knocking him out. The Chief was wrestling with the other. The Joker kept trying to get Robin’s mask less face in the light of his flashlight but so far, Robin had managed to duck out of the way of the beam of light. He tripped the henchman up, sending him crashing to the floor and hitting his head in the process. Both henchmen were out cold, now it was just the Joker. Robin had turned away and started to ram and kick the door again. The Joker just laughed at Robin’s pathetic attempt but that only made Robin kick harder. The Chief joined him, giving the door a few kicks in-between Robin’s kicks. The Joker slowly moved closer, his laugh getting louder with each step his took. Robin and Chief O’Hara kicked the door at the same time and the door swung open, causing both of them to fall forward through the door. The Joker stopped laughing and began running. Robin shuffled back and with his feet, managed to slam the door shut. The Chief had got up and limped to grab a box to keep the door closed.

When the door was secure, they both sat with their backs to the door and the Joker pounding on it but he eventually gave up. Chief O’Hara let out a half chuckle of relief and glanced over to Robin, forgetting that Robin had no mask and the room was now bright. Robin noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and instinctively looked over at the Chief, forgetting he had no mask and the room was light enough to see in. The Chief’s eyes went wide and his mouth was agape. Robin’s heart skipped a beat, realising what he had just done but his head refused to turn away, his secret identity was out. They just stared at each other for a moment before Robin stared to tear up with guilt, shame and exhaustion. He tucked his knees up to his chest and buried his head in them. Chief O’Hara lowered his head feeling shameful himself. He wrapped his arm around the boy wonder in an attempt to comfort him.

“Robin…” He said quietly “It’ll be ok, lad. I won’t tell a soul, no one has to know that I know. This will stay between us I can promise you that”

Robin sniffled “I don’t know if I can lie to Batman. I know you would keep this a secret, I do trust you Chief O’Hara” he mumbled.

“If it makes you feel better, you can tell Batman that I know. I do feel bad that I know and I wish I didn’t, I really do” the Chief hung his head in shame.

Robin lifted his head up and wiped away stray tears. He removed his glove and reached out his hand “Shake on it. We mention none of this. What happened in this room, stays in this room” he said with a shaky voice.

The Chief looked into Robin’s eyes, tearing up himself. He shook Robin’s hand firmly “It stays here. I’ll take it to my grave”

And with that, they both stood up and made their way to the basement door and to the elevator that would take them to the Commissioner’s office. They got to the right floor. Robin ducked his head and covered it with his arm. The Chief helped guide him. Both of them had never been so happy to be in a familiar place.

Batman was still in the Commissioner’s office, leaning against the desk facing the door but he was looking at the floor. The Commissioner was sitting at his desk muttering to himself and looking out the window. Both their heads turned towards the door when they heard it open. Batman’s face lit up when he saw his Robin walking… stumbling through the door. He rushed over to him and gave Robin the mask. Robin gladly took it and put it on. Chief O’Hara had sat himself down on the sofa and a worried looking Commissioner was sat beside him.

“Chief O’Hara am I glad to see you, you too Robin” Gordon exclaimed.

“Very glad to see you too, Commissioner” the Chief said a little out of breath.

“Do you need a doctor, either of you?” Gordon said seriously and worriedly.

“I’ll be fine with a lot of rest, Commissioner” Chief O’Hara nodded, trying to stay awake.

Batman looked at Robin expecting an answer but all he got was cries. Robin had started to sob. Batman was concerned and his heart ached at hearing his little bird cry.

“We’ve both had quite an ordeal” O’Hara whispered.

Batman hummed “Come on Robin, let’s go home.”

Robin nodded and turned to the door. Gordon went to his phone and was going to get someone take O’Hara home. Before leaving Robin glanced back at Chief O’Hara. The Chief gave him a nod. Robin gave a nod back and trudged out the door with Batman.

In no time at all, they were back at Wayne Manor. Batman changed out of his cowl and cape and carried Robin upstairs to his room. He helped him out of his clothes and frowned at the bruising on Dick’s body. The boy needed a lot of rest, food and water. Bruce sat on the edge of the bed as Dick laid down and cried. He kept apologising which was unnecessary in Bruce’s eyes.

“Dick, before I leave you to rest, I need to know something. Does the Joker or anyone know your identity or mine?” Bruce said softly but seriously.

Dick shook his head “Somehow I managed to keep it a secret” he sniffed. He hated lying to Bruce but it was the best thing to do. Maybe one day he’ll tell him the truth but he didn’t need to know right now.

Bruce smiled “I’m proud of you, for everything. For escaping the Joker and getting the Chief and yourself back in one piece. You rest now, call if you need anything.” Bruce ruffled Dick’s hair and got up and walked out of the room.

Dick sighed and closed his eyes, he was ready for sleep. He was lucky that it was Chief O’Hara that knew his identity and not the Joker. Who knew what things were going to be like now that the Chief knew? Probably nothing would change. Deep down though, there was dread. Dread for the day when Bruce finds out that he lied. He promised himself, when the time was right, he would tell him but for now as far as Bruce was concerned, everything was right in the world again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have cried writing the part where Chief O’Hara finds out and makes the deal with Robin. Blame a song I was listening to “Another mask you wore that only I could see” – Of these Chains by RED.   
> And yes, I have a whole playlist I listen to while writing Batman fanfiction. May or may not have a different playlist for different fanfics/genres.


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